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Chessington Dental Practice Blog

Six Habits that Harm Your Teeth

Mouth, tongue and lip piercings are a potential risk to the health of teeth. The piercing can cause tooth fractures, receding gums and bone loss.

Key takeaways:

  • Chewing on ice is a potential cause for damaged teeth. Making it a regular habit will lead to chipped or cracked teeth.
  • Using the teeth to open bottles and packaging will result in cracked teeth and even tooth decay.
  • Snacking between meals increases the contact between sugar and teeth. It increases the growth of bacteria that cause plaque buildup and tooth decay.
Chewing ice may seem like a harmless and calorie-free way to cool down, but in reality, you could be causing real damage to your teeth. If it becomes a regular habit, it can lead to cracked and chipped teeth, damage to tooth enamel and problems with dental work such as fillings and crowns.

Read the full story here

http://www.denplan.co.uk/my-teeth/myteeth-blog/six-habits-which-can-damage-your-teeth

Learn Why Gums Bleed after You Brush Your Teeth

Plaque and tartar buildup with poor oral hygiene is the cause of gum disease. The plaque can only be removed by visiting the dentist.

Key takeaways:

  • The plaque builds up on the teeth, causing inflammation on the surrounding gums.
  • Brushing the teeth irritates the gums which causes the bleeding. It is the most recognizable symptom since gingivitis does not cause pain.
  • The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research indicate that gum disease is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
The only way to get rid of or avoid gingivitis is to practice good oral hygiene. You should brush twice a day and floss every night to discourage plaque buildup.

Read the full story here

http://www.menshealth.com/health/what-bleeding-gums-mean?

Healthy Teeth Habits Recommended By Dental Hygienists

Dental hygieneYou will do a lot of good to your teeth by limiting your coffee and soda sessions. Coffee causes staining of the teeth.

Key takeaways:

  • Brushing, flossing and rinsing the mouth will eliminate the bacteria that cause gum disease and tooth decay.
  • White teeth are not necessarily a sign of healthy teeth. Teeth have different shades such as grey and yellow shade but are still healthy.
  • Scrape or brush the tongue to get rid of bacteria that reside on the tongue and may attack the teeth and gums. Scraping the tongue also helps to get rid of bad breath.
Flossing is important because your teeth are round, not flat, especially your back teeth. "Where they're touching, you're not reaching," Lugaila says. "With a toothbrush, you're missing almost two-thirds of the teeth."

Read the full story here

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2016-06-15/healthy-teeth-habits-dental-hygienists-swear-by?

5 Lesser Known Facts about Your Teeth

You should not use the teeth to pry open bottles and packages. Learn about other facts that help safeguard oral health.

Key takeaways:

  • Saliva is the best friend to your teeth. Saliva is the first line of defense in the mouth by rinsing out the mouth and neutralizing the buildup of bacteria.
  • Frequent snacking and sipping could be hurting your teeth since they contain sugars that support bacteria that cause tooth decay.
  • Gum disease, tooth decay and other oral cavity infections are associated with health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
"Oral health is an integral part of overall health," Harms says. "What people don't realize is that people who have higher levels of gum disease also have a higher level of heart disease."

Read the full story here

www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-your-teeth#1

Recent Autism Studies Promise Insights into Environmental Risks

Children will not need to undergo stressful blood withdrawal for purposes of isolating DNA. Fallen baby teeth can be used to provide DNA for gene profiling in autism.

Key takeaways:

  • Fallen baby teeth can be used to track exposure to chemicals that may trigger autism during pregnancy and infancy.
  • Tooth enamel forms at different stages and will absorb chemicals circulating in the body. It therefore acts like an archaeological record showing when exposure to certain chemicals happened.
  • Baby teeth could also be used as a painless way to extract DNA required to identify changes in the genes that could be linked to autism.
"Taken together, research on baby teeth will inform us about potential causes of autism and who might be most vulnerable," says Dr. Palmer, who is not directly involved in the UCLA study.

Read the full story here

https://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/autism-%E2%80%98tooth-fairy%E2%80%99-studies-promise-insights-environmental-risks

Tips That Will Protect Your Teeth from Coffee Stains

girl cleans stains on her teeth looking in the smartphoneCoffee causes an extrinsic stain that only affects the surface of the tooth. The extrinsic stain will in some cases become an intrinsic stain affecting deeper layers of the teeth.

Key takeaways:

  • Brushing the teeth regularly and after taking coffee will help prevent staining of teeth especially after taking coffee.
  • Drinking coffee using a straw will avert direct contact with the teeth. It is more effective with iced coffee enthusiasts.
  • Adding milk to your coffee will prevent staining. Casein in milk binds to tannins that cause staining.
Less liquid touches your teeth when you drink it through a straw. The smaller the straw, the better. This comes more naturally to iced coffee drinkers, but it works for hot coffee too.

Read the full story here

http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/coffee-stains-teeth/

The Causes of Sensitive Teeth

If you brush vigorously or too hard, you could be setting yourself up for sensitive teeth. It could lead to enamel erosion and exposure of dentin leading to sensitive teeth.

Key takeaways:

  • Using too much mouthwash could be a problem leading to a sore mouth or worsening of already sensitive teeth.
  • Acidic foods such as citrus fruits and tomatoes as well as acidic drinks will cause erosion of tooth enamel.
  • Receding gums such as in periodontal disease may expose tooth pulp leading to sensitive teeth.
If you brush too hard or don't use a soft brush, your gums can pull away from tooth roots. This can also wear away your enamel and expose dentin (yellow). Holes in the dentin are the tiny tubes (blue) that allow hot, cold, and sweet foods to affect tooth nerves. Ouch!

Read the full story here

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/ss/slideshow-sensitive-teeth-causes

What Are The Advantages Of Dental Implants?

Dental implants are made of titanium which is a durable and non-corrosive material. Titanium provides a good foundation for teeth replacement.

Key takeaways:

  • Dental implants fit snugly and feel like natural teeth. They replace missing teeth without affecting the adjacent teeth.
  • Dental implants are more convenient than dentures since they do not require adhesives and don't need to be removed..
  • Dental implants help to improve self esteem since they restore the natural smile.
Dental implants help patients to speak easily and to eat their favorite foods without any fear or hesitation, says the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. They can perform other activities such as smiling, yawning, kissing, laughing and coughing, and the dental implants stay in place.

Read the full story here

https://www.reference.com/health/benefits-dental-implants-733fc154dad6e408

Habits That Destroy Your Teeth

Habits such as playing sports without a mouth guard could cause tooth loss or chipped teeth. You should get a custom-fitted mouth guard from the dentist to wear when playing.

Key takeaways:

  • Cough drops are laden with sugars which encourage plaque buildup and growth of bacteria that leads to cavities.
  • Piercings in the mouth or tongue will raise the risk of infection and sores. Biting down on the metal studs may cause cracked teeth and damage to gums.
  • Teeth grinding caused by stress or poor sleeping habits damages the teeth. Using a mouth guard could help prevent damage to teeth.
For example, there are only 10 more grams of sugar in orange soda than in orange juice. Fruits are naturally sweet, so look for juice that has no added sugar. You can also reduce the sugar content by diluting juice with some water.

Read the full story here

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/ss/slideshow-teeth-wreckers

6 Mistakes Made When Brushing Your Teeth

Young woman brushing cleaning teeth. Girl with toothbrush in bathroom. Oral hygiene.

It is important to take good care for your teeth and overall for the oral cavity. Common problems such as gum disease have been associated with heart disease.

Key takeaways:

  • Electric brushes move water and toothpaste better and at greater speed ensuring effective removal of plaque. The brushes also help people to avoid over-brushing.
  • The toothbrush should be positioned and held at a 45-degree angle into the teeth and the gums to remove any buildup that could lead to gum disease.
  • Dentists recommend fluoride toothpastes to prevent cavities.
You have to remove plaque in order to prevent disease, reminds Martins, adding: ?Any floss is better than no floss.? So keep up with the practice, making sure your floss hugs your teeth on either side, she notes.

Read the full story here

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/wellbeing/6-mistakes-youre-making-every-time-you-brush-your-teeth

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